Religion

Meditation on Christ's humanity and a letter of instruction on a disciplined spiritual life for his sister, epitomize Aelred's gentle spirituality. His pastoral prayer reflects a man conscious that he is accountable to God for the souls of others.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This first lecture in the series addresses the literary originality of the Gospel of Mark. Here Burkitt surveys the priority of Mark, the shared Synoptic material, and the literarily unique sections of Mark.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This second lecture in the series addresses the historical value of the Gospel of Mark. Here Burkitt considers the historical questions of how accurately Mark may portray his limited life of Jesus.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This third lecture in the series addresses the composition and literary characteristics of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This fourth lecture in the series begins by noting that in early Christianity it was Jesus that was preached and not Jesus’ sayings. Burkitt thus suggests some criteria for finding Jesus’ original words and then applies them in order to reconstruct the teachings of Jesus.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This fifth lecture in the series examines the concept of gospel in Matthew and Luke. Burkitt notes the special emphases and concerns of these two Gospel writers, calling attention to how they differ from each other and also from Mark.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This sixth lecture in the series turns to the Gospel of John. Burkitt addresses the enduring questions of authorship and historicity, comparing the Gospel of John to the Synoptics, Philo, the Gnostics, and the Stoics.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This seventh lecture in the series traces the origin of the authoritative four-fold Gospels to about 150 of the Common Era when they are amply attested together. Positing a three-stage evolution to the canonical Gospels, Burkitt notes that other Gospels did not measure up to the same standard.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This eighth lecture in the series addresses Marcion. Burkitt focuses on how this early Christian thinker remained ahead of his time while also falling out of the mainstream of what was an emerging Christianity.

Originally delivered as one of the Jowett Lectures for 1906, the contents of this booklet emerged during the first quest for the historical Jesus. Somewhat surprisingly, Burkitt discovered that historical criticism increased the historical credibility of the Synoptic Gospels in his estimation. This ninth lecture in the series concerns itself with the non-canonical, or apocryphal gospels. Written before the discovery of the Nag-Hammadi library, this study considers the Testamentum Domini, Pistis Sophia, the Gospel and Apocalypse of St. Peter, the Protevangelium of James, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel According to the Hebrews, and the Oxyrhynchus Logia..

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret’s Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt’s book Early Eastern Christianity, the first lecture concerns the early bishops of Edessa. Starting from the basic difference between Eastern and Western Christian outlooks, Burkitt briefly sketches the early history of documented Edessa. Christianity appeared in the city between its sacking by the Romans and its incorporation into the Roman Empire around the start of the third century A.D.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret’s Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt’s book Early Eastern Christianity, the second lecture proposes a theory of how the Syriac Bible was compiled. Burkitt considers the role of the Peshitta, the Diatessaron, and the four Gospels and how their history at Edessa suggests that the Syriac Bible appeared.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret’s Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt’s book Early Eastern Christianity, the third lecture concerns the theology of Eastern Christianity. Burkitt provides a brief survey of the work of Aphraates, Philoxenus of Mabbug, Ephraim the Syrian, and Rabbula.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret’s Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt’s book Early Eastern Christianity, the fourth lecture concerns the development of marriage and the role of sacraments in the early Syriac Church. Burkitt finds that marriage was not early regarded as a sacrament and the married faithful were not permitted the sacraments of baptism or communion in the early tradition represented by Aphraates.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret’s Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt’s book Early Eastern Christianity, the fifth lecture explores Bardaisan and his unique contribution to Syriac Christianity.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret’s Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt’s book Early Eastern Christianity, the sixth lecture examines the ancient Syriac novel, The Acts of Judas Thomas. Embedded within that story is a Gnostic Hymn of the Soul, to which Burkitt pays special regard.

Far from the Christian metropolis of Alexandria, removed from the well-known and much–visited monastic settlements of the Thebaid, and infintely remote from Rome, lay the garrison towns of Aswan and Philae. There Christians and pagans coexisted. Integral to the christian community on this desert frontier of Empire were the local monks–ascetics, intercessors, and miracle workers.

Written in the fifth century, during one of the most formative periods of Christian monasticism in Egypt and Palestine, The Ascetic Discourses show a strong influence of the Scripture, both Old and New, and of Early monastic writers. Abba Isaiah has set forth a practical guide for monks, ever aware of the challanges that interpersonal relationships present within monastic communities.

A panorama of Russian Christian spirituality, richly illustrated with passages from formative works.

Eyewitness accounts of the lives and teachings of the fourth-century Desert Fathers from the Historia monachorum in Aegypto.

Separated by schism from Greek and Latin Christians and surviving under Islamic suzerainty, the Church of Egypt produced insightful saints and heroic martyrs in a chapter in church history now opened to readers of English for the first time.

At the dividing line between Antiquity and the Middle Ages, scholar-diplomat-pastor-writer-pope Gregory the Great drew on his profound knowledge of Scripture and his personal experience to preach the Gospel. These forty homilies show the practical concerns Gregory faced as well as the theological expectations he had of his flock.

The living link through whom the ascetic principles of hellenistic philosophers passed into monasticism, Evagrius molded Christian asceticism through his own works and through his influcence on John Cassian, Climacus, Pseudo–Denis, and Saint Benedict.

This study provides an English translation of the texts for initiation in the Byzantine tradition, drawing on early manuscripts of the euchology and the typikon of the Great Church (Hagia Sophia). This includes texts for the enrollment of children in the rites of the eighth and fortieth days, catechesis and prayers during Lent, final preparations, including consecration of Chrism and the rites of apotaxis and syntaxis on Good Friday, Baptism at the Easter Vigil, postbaptismal rites and rites of closure, and provisions for the other baptismal feasts.

This is a collection of poems and essays by Ghattas Maqdasi Elias, an important figure in twentieth-century Syrian Orthodox letters and education, also known as ‘Malfono Denho.’ The book contains writings previously published in books and journals as well as items published for the first time in this volume.